TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- A federal jury on Wednesday was told that "Sopranos" creator David Chase got help in developing HBO's mob drama and owes a former municipal judge for that assistance.

But a lawyer for Chase countered that when compensation was discussed, Robert Baer, a former municipal court judge and aspiring screenwriter, declined.

Chase arrived in federal court to defend his role in creating the popular show surrounded by three lawyers. "My attorneys advised me not to comment," he said after jury selection.

But at the end of the first day of trial, he showed the wit that made him famous for dialogue in "The Sopranos."

When asked how he would write the ending to this story, he replied, "It's the writers guild strike, I can't tell you that now."

A jury of seven women and one man will determine if Chase should pay Baer for services he provided in 1995 -- in conversations with Chase and during a three-day tour around northern New Jersey -- that helped Chase create what eventually became an HBO hit.

Baer lawyer Harley D. Breite told the jury his client had reasonable expectations for payment, but that, "David Chase never compensated Mr. Baer for his services."

However, Peter L. Skolnik, a Chase lawyer, told the panel that Baer told Chase several times he didn't want compensation.

In addition, when Chase's script was rejected by Fox Broadcasting, Chase did not seek help from Baer when he rewrote the script, Skolnik said.

"That's when David decided he needed a true Mafia expert," he said. That expert, Dan Castleman, a Manhattan district attorney, was not paid for his services during the writing and development of the pilot, Skolnik added, and it is not customary in the television industry to pay for those services during development.

Chase, dressed in a black suit, sat at a table filled with his lawyers. Also at the table was his wife, Denise Chase, who is vice president of his production company.

The jury was selected from 31 prospective jurors to hear the case, which is expected to take five days. At least one member said she had never seen the show and was not familiar with it. Two prospective jurors who said they were big fans of the show were rejected.

Baer sued Chase in 2002, claiming he suggested a TV show about organized crime in New Jersey and gave Chase a crash course on the North Jersey mob. Baer claims Chase's ideas came after Baer arranged meetings with police detectives and other experts and escorted him around mob sites in the Newark-Elizabeth area.

U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano dismissed Baer's suit twice, but those rulings were overturned.

Last month, Pisano ruled that Baer cannot mention certain factual information about crimes, characters or locations derived from meetings he arranged for Chase because they were based on facts in the public domain.

In court filings, Chase called Baer's claims "grossly distorted, petulant and self-aggrandizing" and asserted that Baer provided a "modest service," arranging to introduce him to individuals who where experienced in certain facets of organized crime.

Chase also said virtually all of the information provided to him during his visit with Baer exists in the public domain.

In a court filing, Chase said he was "keenly aware of a 'mob presence' in New Jersey" because he grew up in the Garden State.